A new class of freshmen will soon descend on colleges as the fall 2024 semester begins. As a college chemistry professor who has seen it all, I’d like to offer 10 suggestions that will help you survive your first year. 1.
College isn’t high school. If you managed to finesse your way through high school, staying up to all hours of the wee morning playing video games online, and you think you are going to continue this habit — forget it. You won’t make it.
First of all, you need sleep to function in class. And second, the amount of study time required to get a good grade, especially in science technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses, exceeds anything you have attempted previously. 2.
College requires sacrifice. Our campus is located in South Florida, a mile from the beach. While I have no problem with a student going to the beach for a few hours on the weekend, the fear of failure must loom larger than whatever it is your friends think is more important in the middle of the week than hitting the books.
Learn to tell them “No” early on. 3. College requires time management.
My assignments are date-sensitive; they open on a certain date and they close five days later. Once they’re closed that’s it — you’ll get a zero unless you have a valid excuse for missing a deadline. 4.
College doesn’t give participation awards. In an era when everyone gets a trophy, sorry — you don’t get an award for simply showing up. 5.
STEM courses require solving problems.